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Blade Runner: The Director's Cut (Remastered) (UK - DVD R2)

Scott McKenzie takes a look at the recent cleaned-up release of the sci-fi classic...

Feature

Set in the now not-so-distant future, robot design has developed so far that synthetic humans, or replicants, are now almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Most of the human race has moved to the off-world colonies for a better life and those left behind aren’t exactly the cream of society. Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a blade runner, an officer of the Los Angeles law enforcement whose job it is to track down and “retire” rogue replicants.

2006 Remastered Version

1999 Version

Four replicants have arrived on Earth, leaving a trail of destruction and death in their wake, and Deckard is called on to get rid of them. Along the way he meets Rachael, a replicant who doesn’t know she isn’t human. They form a relationship that is fundamentally wrong in society’s eyes and is there something about Deckard that he doesn’t know?

The first amazing thing about Blade Runner is the fact that it was made at all. Huge investment went into set design and special effects and, rapidly running out of money, director Ridley Scott was tearing pages out of the screenplay on a daily basis in order to get somewhere close to the budget. Many books have been written about the torturous shoot and relations between Scott and serial grudge-holder Ford have never fully healed.

2006 Remastered Version

1999 Version

Blade Runner is a film that sets standards. It is the definitive vision of a dystopian future. Its influence is obvious in so many sci-fi movies produced since 1982 because the filmmakers have taken the capitalist society of the 80s to the logical extreme. Advertising and industry will take over the landscape and the human race will be fighting against the technology we worked so hard to create, which is a common theme in the writing of Philip K Dick, upon whose novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? this film is based. Essential follow-up viewing is the anime classic Akira, which pays homage to the Japanese-influenced Los Angeles of Blade Runner by creating a neon Tokyo with the detail and scope that a live action budget would not allow in the days before CGI.

With a screenplay that is light on dialogue and considerably less action-focused than Star Wars, Blade Runner is almost certainly the opposite of what fans of Harrison Ford were expecting at the time. His performance could not be more low-key, with the introverted Deckard using a look or a nod to get his point across where Han Solo would have shot first before asking questions. Deckard’s nemesis Roy Batty is played with incredible intensity by Rutger Hauer, in a role that defined him as a sinister eccentric, a persona that he later carried over to The Hitcher.

2006 Remastered Version

1999 Version

I believe the ‘classic’ tag given to Blade Runner is well and truly deserved, however there is something about the film that doesn’t sit quite right with me. Whether intentional on the part of the filmmakers or not, themes of sexism and racism can be read within the story. The only female characters are replicants (and therefore disposable) and Deckard’s seduction of Rachael is more of an exercise in coercion than romance. The theme of racism can be identified but I’m not sure if I agree with those that argue its case. It’s true that Deckard is a one-man army attempting to rid the world of those that don’t fit society's acceptable norms, but this is a story of man vs. machine rather than man vs. man. If that were the case then surely I, Robot, another Dick adaptation with a similar theme but directed with considerably less subtlety, should be considered more right-wing in its approach.

Although derided upon its release, time has been kind to Blade Runner and the main reason for its continued success was the re-release in 1992. If it wasn’t for the director’s cut of Blade Runner, we wouldn’t have endless re-workings of classic movies and there wouldn’t be the endless slew of ‘rated’ and ‘unrated’ DVD releases. It also highlighted the practice of studio interference and gave the fanboys plenty to argue about. Is the movie better with or without Harrison Ford’s voiceover? Is Deckard a replicant or isn’t he? And what else is missing from both versions? For me, the difference in the two versions lies in the tone of the movie. With the addition of the hard boiled voiceover and less ambiguous ending, the original Blade Runner feels more like a 1950s Hollywood film noir. Without the voiceover, the lack of dialogue is more obvious and has more in common with classic European noir such as Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samourai.

2006 Remastered Version

1999 Version

Video

Before sitting down to watch the review copy of the remastered version of Blade Runner, I hadn’t watched my old copy of the 1999 release for a long time. Maybe my expectations were set too high by the ‘Digitally Remastered’ tag on the cover but I was fairly underwhelmed. There is still some dirt and scratches on the picture, which is most prominent during the exterior model shots. The colours are strong but there is quite a bit of colour bleeding and edge enhancement on show.

My opinion changed quite considerably when I popped Warner’s initial release into the DVD player and it became immediately apparent that even though it has its faults, the remastered version is a considerable improvement. The 1999 release is wobbly, cropped on both sides, suffers from significant compression artefacts and has jagged black borders around the non-anamorphic picture. This new DVD presents Blade Runner with the best picture quality yet seen on a home release of the movie, but I hope it passes through the remastering process a few more times before the release of the high definition version and the long-awaited definitive edition.

Audio

My hopes of a fully remastered 5.1 soundtrack for Blade Runner were dashed with this release. Unfortunately all we get is a cleaned-up version of the Surround track from the 1999 release. Admittedly, it is a lot cleaner with fewer crackles but surely we deserve full use of directional sound to get the most out of a futuristic world where a multitude of noises should hit the audience from all angles. Surprisingly for such a high profile release from a major director, the looping is quite lazy in places. In long shots it is sometimes obvious that the actors’ lips are saying something completely different to what we can hear. This is something that I hope will also be addressed in the next release.

2006 Remastered Version

1999 Version

Extras

Unless scene selection and interactive menus are your idea of a good time, there’s nothing else here for you other than the movie.

Overall

With second hand copies of the out-of-print original release of Blade Runner going for $40 or more on eBay, it makes sound business sense to get this version out there on the shelves, but it does make me wonder who this release is for, other than the few who can’t wait for the definitive edition. The video and audio quality still aren’t up to the standard we generally expect from a major release but it is a significant improvement over the 1999 release. If you absolutely have to own Blade Runner on DVD now then this is the version to pick up but everyone else should wait and see just how special Warner Bros can make the inevitable special edition.

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Chris Gould wrote: You can disagree all you like, but the old release of Blade Runner was c**p.Are you talking about its original DVD release (which I never owned), or the 1999 release? If the 1999 is the version you are so disgruntled with, then I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

You can disagree all you like, but the old release of Blade Runner was c**p (and definitely had more in common with VHS than DVD even at the time of its release). Saying that this release is a significant improvement over 'c**p' isn't exactly the biggest compliment in the world, and the quality of a DVD is measured by more than just the video transfer (audio, supplements, presentation). Don't really get what's so hard to understand about that?

As for people buying it, well I have it (obviously), although I didn't pay for it as it was given to me through the site.

Chris Gould wrote: The DVD isn't particularly good. Granted it's a big improvement over the old release visually, but that was VHS quality back in its day so that's hardly a compliment. Ok, maybe for some reason I'm not understanding your point, but...

VHS quality? I disagree. I've owned several incarnations of this film over the years and each was a substantial improvement in picture quality from its predecessor. My first copy was VHS, and that was so long ago I don't even remember which version of the film it was. Then, I got into laserdiscs. I'm happy to say my second copy was the Criterion laserdisc (which was the European version of the film). Much better picture than VHS, plus it was the only widescreen incarnation available to the public. The supplemental 'A Fan's Notes' was awesome. I actually dubbed it onto VHS because I knew laserdiscs wouldn't be around forever. Then, of course, came DVD. I picked up the '99 version. In terms of picture quality, it put the Criterion laser to shame. The laserdisc video (which is stored as analogue information, not digital) was a big bundle of noise compared to the DVD.

And now you say this new release is a significant improvement on that. Well, that sounds pretty good to me. Is it as good as it could be? I guess not. Has there been word if the Definitive Version will be yet another transfer and/or cleanup of the picture? How many people here are actually going to spring for this version when the Definitive is around the corner? A show of hands, please.

Darrell Judd wrote: I cant wait for the Definitive Edition of this classic - I think I read somewhere that it should be out next year sometime. Ridley has got something special up his sleeve for this little beauty. It's out in March.

I am a bit disappointed that the colours look washed out. They seem to have a greeny, blueish hue now. Trying to appeal to Matrix fans?

Chris Gould wrote: I'm guessing that by note you meant score. The reason it was given a low score is because we're a DVD review site, not a film review site (as I keep having to point out). The DVD isn't particularly good. Granted it's a big improvement over the old release visually, but that was VHS quality back in its day so that's hardly a compliment.

As for not expecting 'High-Def' video from older films, you do realise that 35mm film has a higher resolution than HD don't you? right..i forgot to mention this in my post....u are absolutely right...sorry my mistake

The brightening of the bleak aura that is Blade Runner is questionable at best. Sure, sharpening up some of the images is welcome but since the film is based on how dark the envisioning of LA's or the world's future is in essence a character of the movie. I can't count how many times I've seen this movie. From the theatre to the new DVD, I'm guessing about 30 times. I still can't figure out if Deckard is a replicant or not. If he was, wouldn't he have kicked Leon's ass half way to Sunday since he is Blade Runner? Wouldn't Blade Runners have been enhanced even more to catch runaway replicants? So, I have my doubts. But I digress. Hopefully with the Mega Box Set of all the versions that is to be released soon will provide insight to many questions since each version seems to have a slightly different slant and provide a few more answers or pose more questions. After all the viewings of this movie I have yet to see the European version which I've been told has some nuances that add to the story. From the US versions, I think there are 3, the original with Ford's voice over is compelling yet the Director's cut does leave you more of a chance to understand the film without coaching but kind of leaves you looking for the voiceover. I'm just hoping that the Box Set is full of extras and improved quality. Going to hold to that out of print version until I see the Set and then decide.

On the quality front, age is not an excuse for a film to look bad. Case in point, Gone With The Wind. That film in its latest incarnation is stunning. The latest incarnation of Blade Runner's quality can not be blamed on age. They just didn't put the time and money, understandably, into this one. They are going to throw all the bells and whistles into the one released next year.

One thing I'll say is this - don't get your hopes up on a correction to the voices not matching what they are saying. One problem with Blade Runner was that entire sections of dialogue were re-recorded (with dialogue entirely changed) in post, which means that there is no way to match the voice work to the actors' lips. One glaring example is when Dekkard asks Rachel about the owl ("Is it artificial?" "Of course it is," she replies). The original line - as delivered on set - was "Of course it's not." You can clearly see her say "not" in the scene.

So, I hate to burst your hopeful bubble, but you'll still have those problems. However, they really are so minimal compared to the greatness that lies in the film.

I'm guessing that by note you meant score. The reason it was given a low score is because we're a DVD review site, not a film review site (as I keep having to point out). The DVD isn't particularly good. Granted it's a big improvement over the old release visually, but that was VHS quality back in its day so that's hardly a compliment.

As for not expecting 'High-Def' video from older films, you do realise that 35mm film has a higher resolution than HD don't you?

I recommend you watch Black Narcissus on DVD - made in 1946 but the video quality is still stunning. Blade Runner is one of the modern jewels in Warner's crown so I think it deserves much better treatment than it's had so far on DVD.

the note you gave absolutely shhocks me...the only explenation I can find is no extras....the movie it self is one of the best S-F films ever made..and as for the picture quality..u can't expect High-Def video q form such old movie...and i'm more than sure that definitive edition will have the same picture.